2.20.040 Sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment is defined in accordance with state and federal law as may exist from time to time, and is currently defined as follows:

A. Unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:

1. Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment; or

2. Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

B. Examples of sexual harassment also include unwelcome sexual flirtations or propositions, verbal abuse of a sexual nature, subtle pressure or requests for sexual activities, unnecessary touching of an individual, graphic or verbal commentaries of a sexual nature about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, a display in the work place of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, or offensive jokes of a sexual nature, any or all of which continues after a request is made for it to stop. Any employee or volunteer who feels that he or she is a victim of sexual harassment by any supervisor, management official, other employee, volunteer or customer or any other person in connection with employment with the City should bring the matter to the immediate attention of the employee’s supervisor, Mayor or Deputy Mayor. The employee may also bring the matter to the attention of the Alaska Commission for Human Rights and the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

C. Upon receiving notice of a sexual harassment complaint, the matter shall be promptly investigated in a confidential manner. Any employee who is determined, after investigation, to have engaged in sexual harassment in violation of law will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including discharge. (Ord. 96-01, 1996; Ord. 96-04, 1996; Ord. 97-06, 1997)